Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 14, 1994 TAG: 9404140029
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Cochran
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
When the water temperatures start to push toward the 60s, largemouth and smallmouth bass move into the shallows searching for food and companionship. It's a prime time to catch bass in big numbers and big sizes. The same can be said of catfish, striped bass and crappie.
At Claytor Lake, fishermen have been reeling in outstanding catches of smallmouth bass. Eddie Parks of Pulaski weighed a 5-pound, 13-ounce trophy at Lakeside Marine Supply. Dennis Simpkins of Radford caught one that weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces. Wayne Burchette of Pulaski caught two citation-size fish - 5 pounds, 1 ounce and 4 pounds, 13 ounces. Wayne Ambruster of Pulaski landed a 5-pounder.
The Claytor striped bass also are on the prowl, and growing increasingly larger, thanks to the lake's improved population of baitfish. Franklin Turner of Radford landed a 24-pounder.
Lake Moomaw is producing some of its biggest bass ever, as the water level drops and the temperature climbs. The Bait Place weighed a 9-pound, 15 1/2-ounce largemouth, believed to be a record for the lake. It was landed by Cody Dolan of White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.
Even more impressive are the Moomaw smallmouth. The Bait Place has recorded two five-fish limits in which each fish averaged 4 pounds. Most bass are being caught up the lake on minnows.
Smith Mountain Lake also is turning out trophy smallmouths that weigh 4 to 5 1/2 pounds. Striped bass up to 29 pounds have been registered at Campers Paradise.
Fishermen at Gatewood Lake in Pulaski have caught largemouths up to 8 pounds, bluegills up to 1 pound and crappie up to 1 pound, 15 ounces. Ice storms caused considerable damage to the lake area, making bank fishing difficult, so figure on fishing from a boat.
Fishermen seeking largemouth bass at Kerr Lake are watching the water level fall 6 to 8 inches a day, which means the elevation likely will hit the 305 mark this week. That should be ideal for catching largemouths in the shoreline brush.
The heavy flow of water from Kerr Dam has drawn striped bass and catfish upstream. The Kerr tailrace produced 25 stripers one day, eight of them weighing more than 15 pounds, two more than 20 pounds.
While the James and New rivers have been running too high for good fishing, that's not the case on the Rappahannock and Potomac. Smallmouth bass up to 5 3/4 pounds have been caught on the Rappahannock. The hickory shad and herring season is under way in the river at Fredericksburg.
Guide Charlie Taylor reports fishing is "red hot" on the Potomac, where largemouths up to 7 pounds have been striking spinnerbaits, Rat-L-Traps and plastic grubs.
\ TROUT, TOO: The Roanoke River has blessed two anglers with trophy brown trout. Gene Dillon of Vinton landed a 7-pound, 10 1/2-ounce brown while casting a corn bait from a low-water bridge along Wiley Drive. Mike Surber of Roanoke caught a 6-pound, 7-ounce brown on a night crawler near the Eddy Street Bridge in Salem.
\ POTENTIAL RECORD: William Boswell of Clarksville caught a 2.46-pound white perch from Kerr Lake that is a potential state-record fish. The existing record of 2 pounds, 1 ounce was caught seven years ago from the Back Bay.
\ HELP WANTED: If you've ever fished the Ernest Pig Robertson Trout Fishing Rodeo or taken a youngster there, now is the time to return a favor. Martha Robertson, the force behind the event held annually in Salem, has been ill, so the contributions needed to purchase trout - it takes more than 5,000 pounds - have been coming in slowly.
Robertson, frankly, is worried. She needs money for trout and she needs prizes and treats for the children and nursing home patients who participate.
Contributions can be made through the City of Salem Department of Parks and Recreation, P.O. Box 869, Salem 24153. For information, call 375-3057.
by CNB